Coaching Blog

On Motivation or Lack thereof…

1. Be a visionary. Have a vision and align colleagues and employees with that vision. Getting them to rally behind you makes you an inspiring, energizing and energized leader.

2. State your goals clearly and loudly. Commit yourself to them publicly to the Board, Management and Employees, so that you are accountable for accomplishing them. Increase the likelihood of achieving goals by making them manageable, not overwhelming. Your business & executive coach will support you in this process.

3. Discuss plans openly. Initiate a dialogue so that other people feel heard and valued. Their buy-in will help keep you on track.

4. Set personal deadlines. Then stick to them as best you can. To avoid missing deadlines, ask yourself if a particular task is important, urgent, reactive (to a crisis – putting out fires), pro-active, or just a distraction. Your life or business coach can help with that.

5. Find your personal motivation hot button. Some managers are motivated by sales and profits. Others find it in having power, responsibility or a sense of control. Or you may be motivated because you want to prove yourself worthy and successful. Again, your executive coach will help you stay focused on that.

6. Be accountable. Check in on a regular basis with a mentor, or coach. Accountability to someone you respect is a great motivator for executing plans and moving forward.

7. Learn to build on success. Positive reinforcement will push you forward in a meaningful way.

8. Surround yourself with support. Garner support from colleagues in and outside your workplace. Other sources of support can include your life or business coach, family members or friends.

9. Seek ways to improve your skills. Read. Attend courses. Communicate with a mentor on a regular basis. Brainstorm with more experienced people. It’s like playing tennis with someone who’s better than you.

10. Have high expectations. Hold yourself to high standards so that you avoid disappointing yourself and those who depend on you to get the job done.

More to follow soon…

Ella Scheinwald

Ella Scheinwald, an executive and personal coach who specializes in facilitating client problem-solving, is the founder of LifeFacilitation Institute. Please call us 914.705.4500